Dead Comfort
by Rosedream
Summary: This story is going to address the issue of "comfort women" Please don't read if you are under 13.- Completed story #4
1. Chapter 1

**This will be an intense story. I will try to keep it to a rating of T but may have to change it to an M later.**

**Dead Comfort**

Author notes: This is the fourth story in the series. (At least in my head it is!) First was Dead Attractive, then Dead Silence, last Dark Night (a short 2 chapter) and now Dead Comfort. I build on the stories before; I can't help it I keep getting more ideas from previous ones! I am going to reiterate what I have said before. This is an ongoing bunch of cases. That means that at no time will I wrap everything in a big bow and make it a happily ever after. Because if I did that I would have to start over again with my story line! My endings can be short and sweet, maybe a little abrupt. Sorry about that, but by the time I hit the end I am thinking of the next story. Not to mention that because this is an ongoing story line it isn't really an ending, just the end of the current case. I hope you enjoy this next case. It may take a little longer to get out but that is because this one is going to take a little more research…

An estimated one hundred thousand to four hundred thousand female sex slaves were forced to deliver sexual services to Japanese soldiers, both before and during World War II. They have been variously called "_comfort women_," "_military sex slaves_," "_MSS,_" "_military comfort women_," and -- in Japanese -- _"jugun ianfu_."

**Chapter one. **

We arrived at the Inn right after dinner. A wind chime rung somewhere on the property. (_Wind chimes and bells were used to ward off ill omen.)_

We were in Sasebo, a gorgeous city right on the coast. Home to Japanese and American Naval Bases. It is a prime location, with a protected deep water harbor and close proximity to China and Korea. Coal mines are close by as well. The city is lively and has a wonderful vibe to it. We had stopped on our way to the current case to get some food. Since this city is right on the water the sea food is excellent! Especially the oysters!

Ayako and I amused ourselves by rating the men walking by the restaurant. I was surprised at her love of _gaijin_. She rated all of the American officers fairly high. To the amusement of Bou-san and John. Masako couldn't make this trip, but I am going to assume that she would have found our rating of men beneath her.

Lin and Naru seemed to ignore us.

Some of the bolder American men even came up to our table and tried to chat me and Ayako up in their broken Japanese.

"Hello, you live here?"

"No, we live in another city." I replied, giggling a little at his poor pronounciation. This seemed to encourage his buddies to come over and we started to have a friendly chat dispite our mutual language barrier. Have I mentioned I am not the best student? English is not exactly one of my best subjects either.

Bou-san and John did much better and ended up being translators for Ayako and I. The _gaijins_ seemed to be most excited about John and talked to him for quite some time. Lin and Naru seemed to tolerate this.

As we were leaving one of the _gaijins_ pulled my hand into his and asked me a question. I didn't understand and looked to John. He blushed and said. "He is asking if you are single and if so; can he have your phone number?" Blushing I was about to respond that I was single, but no he couldn't have my number when Naru busted in. He spat something at the men and then grabbed my hand from the man and started marching me towards the van. Looking back at John and Bou-san who looked amused. Bou-san then shrugged and replied with the same words.

"_Guess she's not available."_

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The Inn was beautiful. All of the rooms opened up to the courtyard. The gardens meticulous and calming. When we checked in the proprietor met us personally.

"I am so glad you have come. Do you have your room keys? Yes, now remember no man can be in a room by himself. At least one girl must be with you." Naru nodded. Earlier we had been told of this requirement. I would be staying with Naru and Lin. Ayako would be with Bou-san and John.

We had three rooms. The two rooms on each side would be sleeping quarters and the room in the middle would be the base. We unpacked our equipment in the early evening hours. The wind blew softly from the ocean. Cicadas were buzzing and the gentle sound of laughter from another part of the inn wafted though the air. It was comforting and calming. If it wasn't for the urgent plea of the Inn Owner I would have never associated this place with the rumors of horror.

Naru sat us all down in the base to lay out rules.

"Alright, based on what we know, this is place that is very unfriendly towards men. Keeping this in mind again Lin, Mai and I will share one room and John, Bou-san and Ayako will share another room. At no point will there be a man left alone in a room by himself. Whenever one is on shift everyone is on shift got it?" Everyone nodded.

"Very well, Lin, Mai and I will take first shift. You three get some sleep, we will wake you at 2 in the morning. Don't even go to the bathroom without everyone together. It hasn't attacked women at all and men are usually but not always safe when there are two of them."

Everyone nodded again. And then John, Bou-san and Ayako got up and left to the next room. They left the hall door open to let in the night breeze from the courtyard.

"Mai, I need your help going through the newspapers. Lin will watch camera feeds and I will research on-line."

I nodded and went to sit on my pillow at the low table. I started to go through newspapers and cutting out articles that related to the case. This inn was actually quite famous for its history of gruesome murders. Lots of people stayed just to scare themselves. But it is a real threat to people. Any man who stayed on his own in one of these rooms would be found brutally cut up. So far there have been over 100 men killed here that we know of since the 1950s.

It was interesting that for a change, the women of the group were protecting the men from harm. Maybe for once Naru will come to appreciate me!

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The night fairly flew by. Is it weird that I was engrossed in stories of murder? I found myself reading all of the articles pretty much. It was like a car accident fascinating for all of its grisly topic. At two in the morning, with no ghostly activity to speak of, the three of us dragged the others out of bed before going to our own respective futons and passing out.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author Note:** I am going to include some real stories of comfort women. Below is the web site where I found them.

./about/exhibits/comfort_

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**Kim Young-shil**  
"It was 1941. One day I encountered a well-dressed man in western clothes. He asked me if I wanted to have a good job. Thinking that any job would be better that working as a maid, I accepted his offer and followed him to where there were already eight other girls ahead of me. They were all about 14 or 15 years old.

So we all got on a truck. . . . A soldier came up to me and put a name tag on my chest. It had a Japanese name 'Eiko' written on it. He then told me, 'From now on, you must not speak Korean. If you do, we will kill you. Now your name in Eiko. . . .'

I was totally exhausted. I could keep neither my sense of humiliation nor my dignity. I felt like a living corpse. When soldiers came to my room and did it to me one after another, it was done to a lifeless body. Again. And again. And again…"

**Kim Bun-sun**  
"One day when I was 15 years old, I went to a nearby field to gather edible wild greens with my four-year old brother. A man dressed in a Japanese policeman's uniform approached us. Suddenly he seized me with force, put me on a truck, and drove off to Tageu City from the field. . . .When the truck arrived at a strange place in Tageu, I saw about ten young Korean girls like me who had already been forced to go there. . . . They boarded us on a ship for Japan. . . . Soon more and more Korean girls were brought there, and for a week we were all taught the Japanese language. . .

Taiwan was the first place we were forced to serve as 'comfort women' for three months. After that they took us to Manila where we were joined by Filipino 'comfort women.' This kind of life lasted four years until I was 19 years old. . . .

I was infected with venereal diseases a number of times. . . . I cried often and ran away several times. Each time guards caught me, brought me back, to the house and physically punished me. The beating was so severe that my back was permanently injured, and my face became mangled. People used to tell me I was pretty until then."

**Hwang Keum-ju**  
"[T]he Japanese sent us a draft notice for girls. . . . I wasn't kidnapped, I was officially drafted. . . . All of the girls thought that we were going to work at some kind of factory. But when the guards finally let us off the truck, we saw only Japanese soldiers on horses and motor vehicles in a vast Manchurian field. . . .

I saw so many deaths, so much illness. The Japanese injected us with so many drugs like '#606' that we would have miscarriages. Sometimes our bodies would swell up like balloons but the Japanese soldiers did not care. They would line up for sex day after day. They did not care if the girls were bleeding or what. The would still force sex on them."

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**Chapter TWO: **

Naru impatiently woke me up at freaking 8 in the morning! When I had gone to bed at 2! Only six hours of sleep does not make me beautiful, in fact the "whoa??" with a quick swipe to the mouth to check for drool did nothing for my attractiveness I am sure. He of course was dressed and looking great. Sigh.

"Mai, Lin and I are going to the base. Get dressed and join us as soon as possible."

I blinked in Lin's direction, hmph he was dressed and ready to go too. Guess that is how sharing the room is going to work they will get dressed before waking me up… hold that thought if I had woken up 15 minutes earlier I would have seen a half naked Naru!

"Mai? Mai are you awake yet!?"

"What?" I mumbled coming out of my lustful daze. I watched him get up and start to leave.

"Wait! Will you be ok?"

"Ayako is in the next room." He left.

"Oh"

I got dressed. A cute jean skirt, simple white shirt and white sandals; and then stepped into the bathroom to wash my face, comb my hair and brush the morning breath away. I frowned at the scars on my forearms. I had been injured on our last case quite severely by a demonic zombie. The good news is that from that case we learned that Naru could focus his powers without bodily harm if he was in contact with me. He had to be touching me, which meant that I got to hold Naru's hand a lot. Go me! Masako threw a royal fit when she realized that this meant during a case I had to be in close proximity to Naru at all times. Helps explain why I am in the same room as Naru, beyond the whole lone man-killing ghost problem. I am just hoping that this means I will be in the same room as Naru in all the next cases. What? A girl has needs and I am hoping this will make him decide to act on some of them!

When I stepped into the base room I saw that everyone was gathered around the low tea table eating the breakfast provided by the Inn. Mmmm rice, miso soup, grilled fish and veggies.

After breakfast we all lingered over tea to discuss the night shifts.

"Any activity?" Naru asked

"Nothing" John shook he head. Bou-san and Ayako nodded.

Naru shook his head. "Our investigation will be much harder this time. We can't place video camera in occupied rooms, but the activity only happens in occupied rooms…"

"AAHHHHHHHH!!!" A scream echoed across the Inn's courtyard.

We shared a look and then jumped up from our tea.

"Wait!" Naru stopped us. "We can't leave the equipment! Lin, Mai stay here!"

"WHAT!? Why can't I go?" I huffed and turned to Lin.

"No male can be alone Mai, remember?" He turned back to the monitors to view the drama as it happened in the hallways.

I face vaulted and then came-up bright red. Fist hitting the side of my head. Duh!

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Later I learned that there had been a party across the courtyard. Soldiers from the Japanese Naval base and some local women had been celebrating some leave time. At some point one of the men had wandered off and passed out in an unoccupied room. This morning he was found dead. His body had been cut up and he had died of a large cut across his throat. I felt bad for the man, what a horrible loss.

Everyone was quiet. We felt as though we failed. Even though this has been going on for a long time and we have only been here for one night. Naru was frustrated because the police who were in charge of the investigation weren't going to share details with a civilian.

"Lin, check the newspapers and internet. There has too be something connecting all the information. Mai go back to sleep."

"What!?"

He grabbed my shoulders and steered me towards the couch. I heard the muffled giggles of Ayako, Bou-san and John. Bou-san tossed a Western pillow at us. Naru caught it with one hand and put it on the couch. I turned and sat down. Bou-san came up with a blanket. "Face it Mai, this is one of the best ways to get information…letting you sleep on the job!" I laid down pouting a bit about how that sounded about my work ethic. Bou-san took my shoes off and covered me with the blanket. Actually it felt like he was tucking me in. Comforting and nice to have someone care about you like that. I looked up at Naru who was still standing over me, rolled my eyes at him, then turned over and with my back to the room made my self comfortable.

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AN: Every time Mai speaks in her dream she also says it out loud in the Base room. From "Dead Attractive" they already know that she has a spirit guide; who uses the images of the people in the group for the different dream scenarios. They don't know that "Naru/Gene" is _always_ the spirit guide.

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When I opened my eyes I was floating over the building. I glanced over and there was Naru, hand out waiting for me.

"Naru." I whispered.

"Mai, I will help you for the sake of the ghosts trapped here. But remember; never leave me alone when you are awake. Ever. The women here do not like men."

I nodded. "So only women are trapped here?"

He nodded. "Look."

I looked down at the Inn. It was shaped in a U, with the gate to enclose the courtyard. Every room glowed a soft painful red. Soul lights drifted about the rooms. The whole Inn radiated pain, fear and rage. It was completely different from the warmth it gives in the real world.

"Look!" He pointed urgently towards one of the rooms. I looked closely and saw most of the SPR group all huddled around my sleeping body Lin was typing furiously away on his computer, his back to the group. Behind him was a skeletal woman, arm raised as though she would hit him

"LIN!! TURN AROUND!!" I screamed.

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A loud but sweet whistle woke me up; I sat straight up looking frantically at Lin. Bright lights swirled around him and the faint image of a pissed off woman faded away. Everyone's eyes were wide.

Bou-san broke the silence. "Well, that was close one!"


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: A lot of back ground for this story. Please be patient, it will get creepy later I am sure! ******

**Chapter three:**

"Umm what happened? I thought men were only vulnerable when they were alone?" I directed my question to Naru.

We were all sitting around the tea table, discussing recent events.

"Hmmm, right now we will go with the simple explanation. The ghosts may understand that Lin is a threat to them. Therefore they would naturally try to eliminate that threat. Or because we all were around you and 'ignoring' Lin it could be that the ghosts felt he was alone. It would be interesting if that were the case. We may possibly be able to "catch" them in the act." He paused. "Tell me what you saw in your dream."

"Well, I saw our building. Usually a building is blue with soul lights. This one is red. It seemed as though pain radiated from the building as much as from the souls…"

"Could be that because of everything that has happened in this building the pain from their real lives soaked into the building itself." Bou-san interjected. He saw my puzzled look and elaborated.

"Have you ever walked into a home felt happy or uncomfortable?"

I nodded, animal instinct at work, I thought miserably.

"Yes, but" Bou-san correctly read _that _expression "in many homes this is felt even if a person doesn't have your instincts. Something happens in the home that affects the very spirit of the house, not just the people who live in it. It could be generations of people who are happy and content with their families, or generations of horror stories…"

John nodded and then continued Bou-san's narrative. "I have found that often a home that rests in a certain place in the world can also have these issues. There a places that were holy at one time and are now not. It invites things that are not of this world. Then we have to drive them out. Except in this case we don't know what exactly is causing these problems."

"Well we saw a woman, and we know that the murder only happens to men, must be an earth-bound spirit." Ayako cut in flipping her hair.

My eyes cut to Bou-san's, I tried to hold it in but when he started laughing I had to let loose some giggles.

"Highly doubtful, Lin, do have the history of the hotel?" Naru's cold voice stopped all laughter and speculation.

Lin nodded.

"According to old newspaper clippings and internet information this place has always been an Inn. However it seems as though during the last World War it may have been used for other purposes. I need to do some more research before I can give you an accurate answer on what it was used for. However my current guess is a brothel."

"EHHHH!" Everyone gasped, (but Naru! He is never surprised.)

"Right you continue to research, John and Ayako, please help him. Bou-san, Mai and I will walk the Inn's compound to get a better feel for things."

Everyone nodded.

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When we left the room, I was in the front with Naru and Bou-san as my escort behind me. Naru wanted me to go into the rooms before him and Bou-san to get a sense of the place without interference. I can only guess he is trying to use me as a Masako, even though I can't actually see ghosts!

I realized as I opened the doors that were unoccupied that every room opened to the courtyard. Hmmm, I stopped in the hall way nearly causing Bou-san and Naru to fall over me. I am not sure you could really call this a hallway. Western people might call it a deck or something because it really was just a corridor that was outside. I leaned over the rail to look into the garden.

Looking down at the garden I noticed something particular.

"Neh, Naru doesn't this garden look at little young? And are those bricks around the perimeter of the garden? I bet there wasn't a garden along time ago I bet this was actually a concrete driveway." I pointed to the irregularities.

"Hmmm, Mai lets go check out the gate before we go to the rest of the rooms." He turned and started down the corridor towards the stairs. I shrugged with Bou-san and hurried to catch up. Didn't want any ghosties to get my Naru!

When we got to the gate that spanned from one end of the building to the other, Naru was already checking it out. Bou-san walked to the middle and was checking out the lock on it. We had come through a "door" in the gate when we had gone to our rooms. The main "gate" was no longer usable according to the Inn Keeper.

I felt claustrophobic, so much so that staring at those gates made me feel closed in and without hope.

"They won't open! Why won't they let us leave! I hate it here!" I wailed uncontrollably and hunched in on myself rocking back and forth.

Footstep came close, a hand rested on my shoulder, the warmth of the hand dispelling the cold that had wrapped around me. The scent of cologne and tea also helped. Naru was kneeling next to me. "Mai what's wrong? Tell me what you felt."

I put my hand on his, holding it to my shoulder and holding his warmth to keep the cold at bay. I could feel him shift self-consciously but didn't release him.

"_The gate is closed, they won't let us out. We are trapped! They won't leave us alone. I don't want to be here! Mama!! Daddy!!" _

I was so overwhelmed by the voices crying out. I was crying out with them.

"Mai! Rin pyou tou sha kai jin retsu sai zen!" Bou-san voice cut through the voices around me. Tension left my body and I slumped a little against Naru. Oh shameless Masako moment!

"Mai, Mai!" Bou-san shook me as Naru kept me propped up.

I looked up at Bou-san and Naru. "Defiantly a brothel… But if it's a brothel why can't the girls leave?"

Bou-san looked away uncomfortable.

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We went back to base once I could stand properly. The dejected faces of the people in the room made me worried. Lin went straight to business.

"We know that it was a brothel, but from the information we have been able to find, it may be closer to what is referred to as a comfort station."

I was confused. "Comfort station? That's a good thing right??"

Lin gave me a stoic face, dark though… "Only if you were Japanese military."

"Huh?"

"Lets' sit down and we can explain it."

Lin continued. Something bitter and frustrated on his face.

"During the War, Japan established "comfort stations" for the men of the military. In these stations men were provided women to be used sexually. It was thought that by providing these places for the military men to go it would cut down on the amount of women who were raped in areas of military take over. As well as cut down on the diseases the men acquired from said activities. The majority of the women who were in these places were Korean or Chinese. To be fair there were also many Japanese women as well. Japanese women were provided to men of higher rank. The Korean or Chinese women were provided to the lower ranked men."

"How awful!"

"Yes, many women were tricked, stolen or even sold by their families into this. It was not an easy life. Women were raped up to fifty times a day in some places. Many died from disease or the drugs they would give the women to prevent pregnancies. If that had been the case here, I am not surprised that this place is so full of hate."

KNOCK KNOCK!

We all turned towards the door, just outside the doorways was a young woman pushing a cart full of food.

It must be late in the day if it is dinner time already! As we ate I thought about the young women. No wonder they hate men. Ghosts are irrational and usually angry to begin with. These ghosts must have a lot of anger and rage to express if that all had happened to them…


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**: I would like to give a little more background, one of the reviewers pointed out that another group of comfort women came from the Philippines and she is correct. The Japanese military took women from pretty much every country that they had any type of presence in, including their own.

I do want to point out as well that Japan was not the only country to do this. (Or probably the last in human history…) During WWII Germany under the dictatorship of Hitler also had similar institutions for its soldiers in occupied nations.

Before I begin I would also like to give a nod to Stephen King's Rose Red movie. I am kind-of stealing one of the ideas presented in that movie…I do not own Ghost Hunt and this is a fiction. My story is not a real story about a comfort women but a fictionalized account. That being said please enjoy!

**Chapter Four**

A soft breathy moan whispered in his ear, a hand caressed his face, drifted down his neck, stroked his chest and began to drift further down. His body responded to the invitation before his mind. He woke up enough to wonder what was happening and tried to move away from the questing fingers.

Blearily he semi-opened his eyes to the figure of a woman kneeling over him, hair draped over a shoulder and tickling his bare arm.

"Ayako go back to sleep!" He turned over; sure that she was just being a tease.

Suddenly a sharp pain in his bare arm cut through his slumber. "Ouch! Ayako leave me alone! I am trying to get some sleep!" He pushed himself furiously up to give Ayako a piece of his mind!

Stopped short. "Ughh!" He choked. That's not Ayako!

Before him was a skeleton of a woman with old skin draped over bones, eyes dark and evil. She was naked with obscene smile; she drifted one of her hands over a lump of a breast and kissed the air at him. A little freaked out and still a little muzzy with sleep he scuttled away from her only to run into another whom had been leaning over a sleeping John. No sign of the real Ayako.

"GAHH!" Shouted John who had awakened at Bou-san's yell, the two of them scuttled to the back wall looking at the skeleton women advancing on them. John started to pray quickly and Bou-san began chanting a mantra of Buddha. The obscene smiles dropped and they quirked their heads, listening to the two holy men's prayers. The two looked at each other and then bowed to the two men and left, disappearing as they stepped through the door way.

The two men shuddered and then looked at each other, then shuddered again.

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"Sometimes I am very happy I took a vow of chastity." John said with a devout look on his innocent face.

Everyone was in the Base discussing the last night's events over breakfast.

Bou-san took a sip of the tea. "I am never going to look at another woman the same way." He sighed mournfully.

Ayako looked upset. "I am soo sorry! I don't know what happened! One minute I am with you, falling asleep and the next I wake up in the courtyard, sleeping on a bench!" The last part was shouted in an outraged voice. Anyone who knows Ayako would know that she is a girly girl, camping would involve a two star hotel as opposed to a four.

Naru sat sipping his morning tea. Frankly I think that he is just happy that it hadn't happened to him! In fact when Bou-san was describing the woman and the event I would swear I detected a faint shiver from Lin and Naru!

"Neh Bou-san are you ok?" I was really worried he looked awfully pale.

"Yes, Mai-chan, just a little upset. I guess we now know what happened to the men who died here." He said the last looking at Naru.

Naru nodded. "Yes, we can assume that the men had at some point in their sleep or when drunk acknowledged the women and started to have relations. It is possible that by doing so they triggered the ghosts to fulfill their rage. Judging from their reactions to you though when you called upon your mantra and prayers they knew you two as holy men; Holy men are by their calling, chaste. Therefore they would know that they could not seduce you."

"But Naru!" I cut in unable to help myself. "What about Ayako?"

Ayako looked startled to find herself the topic of conversation, having been occupied snickering about the idea that Bou-san was chaste.

"Yah what about her abandoning us to the ghosts!" Bou-san chimed in. I could tell that he would be giving Ayako a very bad time about that later!

"Well," Naru acknowledged, "at this time I can't answer that, perhaps Ayako, did you have any dreams or something?"

She shook her head.

"Then we will have to wait for another incident. I am going to assume that they won't go after John and Bou-san again. But we will be setting up video feeds in all of the rooms today. I will also discuss with the inn keeper putting up video feeds in rooms that are occupied by people who stay here as 'ghost hunters' as opposed to just hallways and unoccupied rooms."

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Later that evening I found myself assisting greeting people checking in for the night. Everyone one who checked in was asked if they would mind being part of a ghost hunt. I was quite surprised about the amount of people who were enthusiastic about the idea. Most agreed and a few did not but were interested to find out what our results have been so far. I kept it simple and explained that we were still developing our theories and evidence which is why we needed their cooperation.

By midnight I was exhausted. Bou-san and John had accompanied the couples who agreed and set up videos, while Ayako had stayed with Naru and Lin.

I walked myself to our Base. The night air was cool and the wind was gusting, and swirling through the courtyard; it smelled like there was going to be storm.

I felt nervous, walking swiftly through the outside corridors. For some reason ghosts like to scare me when I am alone. I stopped and turned, swearing I heard the sound of boots walking on the wood floors behind me. I was running when I saw our Base door, I quickly ran towards the door and slide it open, gasping from my imagined fears.

I stopped horror struck.

In front of me was not our Base with my friends and Lin's wall of equipment. No in front of me were two narrow beds with two limp dead-eyed women and two men thrusting in and out of their bodies. I backed away only to stop outside of the door to stare aghast at the line of me waiting to come into the room. Looking further I saw more men by the lights at each door of the other rooms. Doors were wide open, no privacy given to the women being used in such a way.

I could feel myself go white and then red, my ears rung. Suddenly black filled my vision and arms wrapped themselves around me. "Don't look, Mai."

Naru was here, thank God!

"Naru did you see?!" I was trembling; the brief flashes that I had seen were horrifying to me.

He nodded. "Mai you are seeing some of the filth that has infected this building. But it is time for you to wake up; you shouldn't have to see more of this."

I blinked up at him determined to ignore the raucous around me. Faintly I could hear the cheers of the soldiers as they drank and gambled while waiting for their turn. Ribald jokes were shouted across the compound and the groans of men reaching satisfaction punctuated the night.

"I'm asleep?"

He smiled at me confirming my question; then gave me a concerned look.

"You must be careful Mai, the women here are very curious about you. It is not often they meet a woman who can see or hear them. They will be very interested in sharing their stories no matter the hurt or pain it would give you. They couldn't quite reach Ayako even though she is more receptive then most, please have her create a charm for you. Again, please don't leave me alone, it is for my safety as much as yours.

I nodded and smiled at him.

I woke up smiling at him, my real Naru who was leaning over me from my position splayed out on the floor with a concerned look in his blue eyes.


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Again Fan-fiction; I don't own the characters; ENJOY!**

**Chapter Five: **

Naru gave me a questioning look and then stepped back to allow me to pick myself up off of the floor. Bou-san came rushing up to me followed quickly by Ayako.

"Mai! Are you alright? You just opened the door and collapsed!"

I nodded at him feeling a little woozy and in a little pain. An uncontrolled drop to the floor does not make for an easy landing! Holding my sore head I went and sat down on the futon. Ayako handed me some of the tea they were drinking to stay awake. It was already 1 in the morning and the haggard faces around me let me know that I wasn't the only one who needed to go to bed.

Naru took charge. "Mai tell us what you saw, after that Bou-san, John and Ayako need to go to bed and we will stay here monitoring the experimental situation."

Groan! I wanted to sleep!

"Well, I saw that this was indeed a comfort house, if the description from Lin was what I need to go by… Well I mean I have never seen a brothel either so it could have been one of those…. "

"Just get on with it!"

I glared at him for interrupting my narrative and started up again.

"Well, there where men and women doing things… but there were men lined up at door ways and all over the place! I mean how is it even _possible_ for a few women to take care of that many men!!"

John sighed at me, "It is possible if the men don't care about the welfare of the women." He looked sad.

"Oh… well I talked to my guru again." Naru perked up and Lin actually turned around.

"He said that this place is infected and that the women were going to be coming after me because I was one of the few people they have encountered that could hear and see them. Makes me happy that Masako isn't here, I bet she would have been bombarded! Anyways he also mentioned that Ayako needs to make me a charm. Not only that but he seems very concerned about Naru… Don't leave Naru alone… stay with him at all times… Blah blah blah!!"

Naru and Lin exchanged glances.

"Neh! Do you suppose it is because Naru is the only one in our group who looks Japanese??" I wondered out loud.

"That is an interesting idea." Naru looked surprised and then contemplative. "We might have to use that."

"Ummm remember where my guru said it was very dangerous?"

Naru ignored me… Jerk!

The others looked contemplative and then seemed to sag with exhaustion. Ayako looked around. "I'm going to bed if you want to go to sleep you can join me." With that she stood up and the two men, Bou-san and John looked grateful to join her out of the room and down the hall to their bedroom.

Naru looked at me; head cocked just a little in thought. I don't know what he wanted but I was tired! A blanket was thrown at me. I caught it with my face.

"What was that for!?"

"You looked tired; Lin and I can monitor the situation while you sleep. Besides it is like your still on the job!" He smirked the last bit.

I would have complained but like I said, I just wanted to sleep, no point in arguing for something I didn't want!

************************************************************************

The sun was hot; it burned through my clothes and stung my neck. The water and mud from the rice paddy sucked my legs down. The only thing that made it bearable was a light breeze that flirted with my straggles of hair. Cicadas droned. I glanced at my sister, who was a year older. She was to be wed soon to a young man down the river. I would miss her spirit and warmth when she was gone.

The day was interrupted with the roar of a truck. The sound was so unfamiliar in our village that we both stopped to stare. Startled we saw men approaching us. We knew that our motherland Japan was at war with the uneducated from the mainland, but the fight had not touched us beyond a greater need for our crops and taxes. My sister and I traded glances. We were both afraid.

The men said that we were being drafted into the Military and that we had to come with them right away. They didn't even let us say good-bye to our family. We had to leave our baskets in the middle of the field.

They herded us to the back of the truck were we huddled with other young women from our village and the village over. My best friend was in the truck with us. The three of us hugged each other tight as the vehicle roared away from our homes. We rode for hours until we came to a large city. I had not smelled the ocean before.

It was night time; we were taken off of the truck and ripped from each other's arms. The men locked me in a room. Scared I huddled on the bed. Five men came in and proceeded to divest me of what innocence I had. Weeping and bleeding they left me there.

I fell asleep at one point to wake up to a hard-faced older woman. She explained where I was and that I would be taking customers again tonight. Then she left me some food.

That night more men showed up.

Later I learned that my best friend managed to kill herself at the end of the week. Eventually my sister and I were allowed to share a room. In that room we ate, slept and took customers. I had to talk my sister out of killing herself many times. I didn't want her to leave me alone. Eventually though she decided it was too much and left me.

I stopped caring at that point and let the men use me. My soul had fled… there was nothing left. Then one night a man got too rough and left me with wounds that couldn't be healed. I was thankful.

************************************************************************

I awoke to a strong feeling of hate. I was lying down, through the curtain of my hair I assessed the room I was in. Two men were talking quietly on the other side of the room looking into some glowing boxes. I got up and sneered at them. Silently I left the room.


	6. Chapter 6

A/n: Sorry for the long wait for an update. I actually wrote a new chapter and then realized that I hated where I was taking this story too much save Mai. Had to wait for my muse to get her rear in gear and think of something else. Anyways enjoy!

Chapter Six

The first clue that something had gone horribly wrong was when Lin and Naru saw Mai winking saucily at them through the TV monitor from a room across the Inn. The second was when they turned around in an instinctual albeit foolish look for Mai where they had last seen her on the futon.

Instead they came face to face with two naked skeletal women. They grinned macabre grins and before Lin could so much as purse his lips they grabbed Naru by his arms and pulled. They pulled him right through the wall, disappearing with a seductively evil cackle.

Lin stood as though frozen. His eyes wide, chin dropped a millimeter. He roused himself and went running for the rest of the group.

He burst in on them all asleep.

"Wake up! Wake up!!"

Groggy groans greeted him. It was only four in the morning. The slumbering SPR folks had only had 2 ½ hours of sleep.

"Wake up! Mai and Naru have been taken!"

Bou-san's and John's heads popped up. Men to the rescue!

Ayako started to emit soft snores. Lin wasn't sure she had ever woken up.

"What!" exclaimed Bou-san.

"The women have taken over Mai and then took Naru with them."

Bou-san looked confused "Mai took Naru?"

"NO! They took over Mai first and then came and took Naru after we had been left without a female around."

Bou-san eyed the sleeping Ayako and then got out of bed to get dressed. John was already up and ready to go. Looking disgustingly chipper and alert. Bou-san huffed. Getting older really did catch up with your ability to just spring up out of bed. Then he snickered that must be why Ayako still hadn't responded to anyone.

He shook himself now was not the time to tease, two people were missing!

Lin went to Ayako as soon as he saw Bou-san was semi decent. He shook her awake and answered her questioning grunt with the previous information. Her eyes wide she too started to struggle out of bed and gesturing the men to turn around, and then she got dressed as well.

***********************************************************************************

The feeling of being pulled through space was a little exhilarating! It was a cross of being faint to the point of passing out and then bright colors and heavy numb feeling in every muscle in his body.

He dropped out of the ceiling on to a dusty twin mattress. The room was dark. Only the soft moonlight from an incredibly tiny window shed any light into the room.

He laid there contemplative. Not really scared just curious.

A figure came to him in the dark, parting the deep shadows. Mai.

She came forward and gestured to the naked skeleton women. He found himself very quickly bound to the bed in a spread eagle position.

Mai spoke, her normal chipper voice echoing with a deeper husky drawl.

"Did you know that this is where they brought the women to break them in? Every one of us were brought down here, tied down and raped through the night. We only got to have a room upstairs after we were broken. Once broken the headmistress knew that we wouldn't try to escape, too pathetic to even walk out of the gate that was open for every man to walk through. She was right."

Mai came to him, caressed his face with her warm human hand.

She smiled gently at him. "And we have brought you here because you are special. You are a man with almost unlimited energy." She moved her hand down his throat and caressed his chest.

"Now that I have this body I don't need to take from you. But my friends, they need energy, which they are going to take from you. With or without your consent."

Mai gestured behind her and he saw a line of naked skeletal women all lined up out of the room. One of the women came forward. In a fluid motion she straddled him. Not too alarmed yet he threw a bolt of power at her.

She threw her head back like a woman in the throes of ecstasy. A soft keen escaped her lips. When she bowed back down to look at him, panting from exertion, he was astonished to realize that she looked almost alive. She clambered off of him, leaned down and kissed his cheek.

Mai quickly went an embraced the women.

"Sister!"

Before Naru could get to thinking about that statement another woman climbed on top of him. He suddenly realized what was going to happen. They were going to rape his power away from him. The woman on top of him grounded her bony hips into him. Disgusted and unable to stop himself he threw a bolt of power at her. She too let out a grunt and a soft groan.

Her body fleshed out as he could feel his get just a little bit weaker. She too kissed his cheek. And then another climbed up onto his bound body.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Wow, I seem to have really confused people. Let me explain a little. The women are not raping Naru's body. They are forcefully taking his power. A rape because he is unwilling. The other thing is that some people mentioned that Naru should be able to blast them off of him. Well, as far as I know he has PK over inanimate objects. So he would have no effect on the ghosts, or women, when they become fleshed out. I suppose he could blow the bed apart but I am working with the theory that between the women taking his power and the situation he is in with out Mai to help focus the power he can't focus enough to do so. And then Lin… Why can't Lin send his glowing protectors after him? Well in the Anime when he had to keep Naru asleep to protect his body there was a ritual done and ofuda and a sign placed on his forehead. Not only that but I haven't ever seen Lin send his shikikami after a ghost unless he could see them or at least was in the same room. I am trying very hard to work with the parameters of what is put forth in the Anime.

So I hope that breaks up the confusion. This chapter will explain more.

************************************************************************

**Chapter Seven**

The four SPR members had an emergency meeting. Frantically they were working to figure out what was happening.

"Do we know where they are?" Bou-san took the lead.

Lin shook his head.

"Do we know what we are up against?"

Lin gave a half shrug. "We had a theory but no substantial evidence to confirm our guess."

"Well what was it!?"

"Succubi"

Bou-san paused sounding interested. "You mean the demon that kills a man through dream sex?"

Lin grimaced. "That is the popular version. A succubus can appear in dreams but it has also been known to appear outside of dreams, many believe that they are beautiful beyond compare but past folklore paints them as frightening or demonic. We know that in either case a Succubus will draw energy from men to sustain themselves. They will take energy from a man until the man dies."

"Hmmm… So how do we fight them?"

"Actually according to the Malleus Maleficarum" John interrupted sounding very knowledgeable, "written by Heinrich Kramer there are five ways to overcome the attacks of Incubi or Succubi: Exorcism, sacramental confession, the sign of the cross with a recital of the Angelic Salutation, moving an afflicted person to another location or excommunication."

John faltered a little with his speech…"However, it is also a well known that these practices fail just as often as they succeed. The church has a theory that it depends on just how strong the succubi are…"

"Great! So we try to exercise them and hope they either disappear or don't get too angry with us." Bou-san ran his hand through his hair thoroughly upset.

John shrugged.

Suddenly the screaming of men filled the air. The group exchanged wide eyed looks and rushed for the door.

When they got out to the courtyard they could hear men screaming from their individual rooms. The screams of women began to fill the air as well.

They rushed into the nearest room. Busting down the room they took in the scene. A man was tied down with a naked woman with demonic eyes crouched over his body. A thin wisp of white flowing from his screaming mouth into her mouth as she hovered over him face to face. Another naked woman was holding a woman away from her husband, a crazy grin flirting with her face. She didn't seem to care how hard she was holding the woman either.

Lin whistled and the rest began to chant their mantras. The ghosts gave them startled glances and then disappeared.

The wife rushed to her prone husband.

Lin took charge.

"Ayako get them out of the Inn. Bou-san and John you two move to the next room and I will take another. Save the people and get them out of the inn! Now that they have Naru they have the power to attack at will. GO!"

***********************************************************************

That is the weirdest thing I have ever seen… I was dumbfounded to see that my body was walking and talking without me! My body was in the Managers office talking to a naked woman!

"You are spirit walking and a ghost has taken over your body." I whipped my unsubstantial head around. Naru was floating next to me.

"You got kicked-out too?" I was surprised.

He smirked. "No, I left before the spirit possessing your body knew about me. No point in being there if you are gone."

"So what now?"

"Now we go save Naru."

"What!? Naru is hurt?" I was aghast! They have my Naru?! My guru looked surprised at me.

"You didn't know?"

"NO!"

He took my hand and we shot off leaving my body and the naked woman behind. We descended down into the bowels of the Inn. I was surprised to learn that this place had a basement. The Guru led me over the heads of numerous women all lined up. We came to a room and went through the doorway.

I was horrified to find Naru confined to a bed and a woman leaning over his prone unconscious body sucking some white mist out of his mouth. Naru was very pale and dark shadows lined his eyes. Scared I looked to my Guru for direction.

I didn't go anywhere near him though, My Guru looked like the most pissed off Naru I have ever seen! I started to edge away from him. He turned to me eyes blazing blue.

"Come, we fight!"

Unsure what he meant I went with him. With a hard expression he did something with his hands and the ghost flew off of Naru! He then placed himself hovering over Naru. Two Naru's facing each other. Examining the real Naru's condition. One ghost and one looking awfully close to death. He titled his head up at me.

"I can protect him from more harm for a short amount of time. But you need to go find Lin."

I nodded. The skeleton women around us were staring right at us. The one Naru had flung across the room sat up looking pissed!

"Get Ai! We have interlopers stopping us from our meal!" Some of the women ran off and I skedaddled myself to find Lin as quickly as possible. As I left I saw Naru my guru crouched protectively over the real Naru with a fierce look on his face.


	8. Chapter 8

Author Note: Sorry for the long wait between updates. Both my husband and I lost our jobs in the month of October and just now have jobs and are moving forward again. The economy what can I say…. Shrugs. (Course I say that now but at the time it was pretty stressful.)

Anyways I got some reviews that said that Naru has a lot more power then I was giving him credit for. I went back and watched and guess what? You all are right! I am going to continue this story as I had laid out for myself before I wrote. But next story I will work with my suddenly larger parameters. So please bear with me and just pretend that because Naru is in the situation he is in that he can't focus right and isn't able to achieve maximum power! hehehe

Chapter Eight

I shot out of the room with a bunch of naked women hot on my tail. Every man's fantasy… my current nightmare. I had no idea where to find Lin. I only knew that I had to find him as soon as possible. Naru's life may depend on it. I had no idea how long my Guru could keep the spirits away.

Moving as a spirit is different then as an earthbound being. I moved like a thought. No really I thought of where I wanted to be and then I was there. But I didn't know where I needed to be right now and instead flowed from room to room. Slower then I could afford because the ladies behind me knew where they needed to be; judging by how they kept popping up with their hands around my neck with me skirting away just in time.

I went up a stairwell and out into the open night air. Before me was the inner court garden. Across the courtyard I saw a bright yellow shinning light. Around it swirled different smaller colored lights. It was battling against the dark malevolent figures of women. Charging up from another hallway to do battle as well were three other large bright lights. Red, Blue and white.

I had stopped too long. The women behind me grabbed my arms and legs. I panicked and in my frenzy tore myself out of their grip and in a pain induced desperation lurched across the courtyard towards the lights that spoke of something righteous and good.

I reached out to the bright yellow light for help and saw the completely surprised expression on Lin's face. He halted mid strike.

The women behind me darted in and grabbed my legs, intending I am sure to drag me off and get rid of me. Ayako in a flash of red and Bou-san in the calm of blue shouted and gestured and the women let of go me with a whimper. John glowed with a steady white light as he held back the other women who had been attacking the group.

I lay in front of them; my spirit blinking in and out; the pain the ladies had inflicted on my soul made it hard to keep thinking. I remembered Naru. In pain and in need of help. I got up.

"Lin! Naru is down in the basement!" I gestured wildly.

All I got was blank stares. I tried again. "LIN! Naru is down in the basement!" I gestured pointedly.

Bou-san hazarded a guess. "You want us to dig in the ground?"

NO! I shook my head.

I stepped away and crooked my finger in the come hither motion.

I stepped forward and they followed. I flowed faster now and they followed shouting chants and mantras as the women who they were battling started to fight more furiously now that they understood that we were mounting a rescue.

I started to chant as well anything to get us moving faster.

After about five minutes of fighting (seemed like an hour) Lin looked like he was pissed! He did something where he whistled and chanted and his lights got together into one multi-colored rainbow of light and smashed all the ladies away from us. We ran (well I flowed) down to the room where Naru was; following that rainbow of light.

When we went into the room I flowed right over the ladies heads and landed side-by-side with my guru.

"They're here!" I panted.

He nodded at me and said. "Stand over Naru. We will fight and clear the room as much as we are able. When Naru wakes up take him to the courtyard. He will know what to do."

I nodded to show I understood.

And then Naru/Guru began to chant and gesture and the women began to disappear. Or run away. Frankly I think they all just wanted to get way from the rock and hammer that was a pissed off Lin and spirit Naru.

Lin came charging up to us and then froze when he caught sight of my Guru. His mouth dropped open and just about hit the floor. My Guru smiled mischievously and laid a finger in on his own mouth in the universal "shhh" gesture. Then he turned to the prone body of my Naru and laid his hand on forehead. With a sigh of something tired and a little sad, my Guru disappeared.

We stood around Naru's body as he woke up.

He seemed a little muzzy and out of it. Bou-san quickly cut him away from the bed and helped him sit up. Ayako checked his forehead and peered intently at his eyes.

"How are you feeling?"

"Fine." His faced hardened from his just waking up look. He turned to Lin.

"Where is Mai?"

Lin gestured at me and Naru's eyes widened to see me floating there in a ghostly form.

I was quick to shake my head. "I'm not dead, my body is being possessed."

He looked at me mouth rigid tight and his eyes flashed an angry blue. I am not sure he could understand me because no one else had been able to. He got up and gestured towards the door. "We need to go to the courtyard."

Everyone looked at him determined and nodded. We faced the door and saw the women there darting through the shadows and staring at Naru and me hungrily.

Lin whistled and gestured. The rainbows flowed and we went.

* * *

We fought our way through the courtyard and followed Naru up to the locked gates. Lin, Ayako, Bou-san and John had taken up defensively the four corners around us. Naru and I were in the middle. Naru tried to take my hand but I couldn't grasp him. He shook his head at me.

"This won't work." He turned and then held me in a hug. My spirit was held close to him and I could feel his arms around my waist and his head cradle mine next to his shoulder. If spirits could blush I was hot red!

Suddenly pressure began to build up around us. Naru began to glow a brilliant violet. The pressure got to be too great and I reached out and popped it.

Hehehe I know it sounds weird like that but have you ever gone swimming? If you have then maybe you have tried going under water to the bottom of the pool. When you are down there the pressure builds up behind your ears, if you don't pop your ears then the pressure gets to be too much and your ears hurt and your head aches for hours afterwards. But if you pop your ears then you are suddenly fine and can swim down there with out any pain later. That is what I do for Naru.

The pressure kept building. I was having a hard time keeping up. You would think that as a spirit it would be easier. No constraints on myself. But it was harder, there was nothing to keep me bound to the ground and centered. I strained, gripping Naru as tightly as possible and trying to use his connection to the ground as my own stabilizer. It worked but not as well as if I had a body.

The pain built in me and I could feel something in my soul tearing a little. "Naru!" I panted his name.

With a flash he released his power and blew those large metal gates to smithereens.

The women who had been surrounding us attracted to Naru's surge of power blinked in stupification at the suddenly open gates. One of them walked shyly up to the opening. When she crossed over the threshold and out of the Inn's courtyard she turned with a beatific smile to the others. "It's so warm!" She disappeared.

The women looked at each other and ran towards to opening. Happy giggles could be heard just beyond before they too disappeared.

I saw this from the corner of my eyes as I melted my insubstantial form against Naru. I hurt. The women who had attacked me had left gashes in my arms and legs. Then the power play by Naru had hurt something in my head. I panted some more. The world was developing white and black spots.

I heard Naru give a surprised shout of "Mai!" and then I blacked out.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Enjoy!

Chapter nine:

We watched the women go out the courtyard and turn into happy lights before disappearing. It is times like these that I enjoy doing what I do. I pulled Ayako in a half hug just happy to have this go right.

"Mai!" The surprised shout of Naru whipped my head around.

Before my eyes Mai's soul flickered and then disappeared.

"MAI!" Naru's anguished cry echoed across the courtyard.

* * *

I opened my eyes to a world of blue. It was my dream world that I shared with my Guru. It has been a while since I was here. I laid there quiet without a burning need to move. Like a Saturday morning when you have slept in. Your body is warm, heavy and lethargic. I turned my heavy head to the side and there was Naru laying in a similar pose. My eyes widened.

"Naru!"

He turned his head and smiled at me. He looked exhausted.

I pulled myself up to a sitting postion. It was surprisingly difficult to achieve.

"What is wrong with me?"

"Exhasution mostly. I expended a huge amount of energy to wake up Naru and then you did so to keep him grounded."

I cradeled my head in my hands. He sat up and then slumped over one knee.

"I am afraid that we are going to have to push ourselves again though. Your body is still being possessed by the lady Ai. Right now we are actually back in your body but very deep in your sub-concious. I don't think Ai aware of us at all."

"Oh yeah. So what are we going to do?"

"I am going to help you gain some control of your body and I need you to walk her out of the gates that Naru opened. Once there she should move on like the rest of the spirits did. I should warn you though at this point of time Naru thinks you died."

"What!?" I was horrified, he thought I died!?

"Well your soul did just suddenly disappear after going through great strain. Usually after such an experience a soul can't find their way back to their body and thus moves on. Naru just isn't thinking clearly and forgot about me." He gave a tiny smile at this.

"Oh." I was actually a little worried about how close I came to dying.

"Neh? When I was helping Naru I felt something well I felt something tear in my soul."

He nodded at me. His face grave.

"When you channeled all that power without a way to ground you had to find another outlet. While you were very good about trying to ground through Naru himself it just wasn't enough to work with the massive output that Naru can weild. I don't know excaclty how this is going to affect you but it may be that something changes in your powers, your day to day life or some thing. We will have to wait and see."

He stood up. "Now it is time, any more time spent talking and Naru is going to find your body and send it to hell as revenge."

I face planted.

Jumping up hysterically, adreniling taking away lingering fatigue. "WHAT?"

He quirked an eyebrow at me. "You have noticed that Naru can be a little vindictive right?"

"Well yah but… but sending my body to hell?!"

"Well you are possessed and as far as he knows your soul has moved on. He isn't just going to let the spirit in control walk away with your body."

He walked over to me and put his hand on my forehead. "This might hurt a little."

* * *

It should go without saying that when someone says that they really mean that it is going to hurt so much that you just might wish you had died.

So it was with pain that I doubled over and fell to the ground. My mouth let loose a few choice swear words that I have never heard before.

"What are you doing here!" Strange my mouth just talked to me on it's own… Oh yeah I am possess with another spirit. I shouldered the woman aside and managed to take about half my body back. It would have to be enough.

"I am going to take you somewhere to find peace."

"Peace? What peace there is no peace to find in this miserable world!"

I would feel half of my mouth curl up in a snarl.

"No! Everyone else has found peace. Please even your sister is gone."

"She has left me before!"

I looked around as much as able and realized that I was in the Inn's office. Thank God I didn't have to drag my tired body very far. As I was getting my bearing I saw Naru and the group race by headed I am assuming towards the room where Naru had been held captive. He really wasn't thinking straight. Why in heavens name would Ai stay down in that hell hole?

I started to lurch my body out the door that connected to the courtyard and the blown open gate. Ai quickly figured out what was happening and tried to stop me. Fortuanlty I had control of the right side which has always been my dominate side anyways. I was make a little head way until she snagged the doorknob and held on.

I was panting and the wounds on my arms and legs were bleeding sluggishly.

(A/N Remember if a wound is delt to the soul the body will reflect that injury.)

I wasn't making enough progress. I heard the shouts of my comrades. "There she is!"

I struggled harder to pull my body from the door. Ai had a deathgrip on that doorknob. Didn't know I was that strong with my left arm!

"Hold it right there!" Naru said coldly and imperiously.

"Go away!" Screamed Ai with my voice. He stepped forward. As did the mean determined faces of my friends.

"Naru you jerk!" I managed to scream as I tried to lunge forward. My body jerked back and I started to worry that I might dislocate my own arm.

Naru paused. Everyone halted.

"Bou-san!" Naru called out, I continued my battle with my body lunging forward. A dislocated arm would be better then being sent to hell by Naru.

Suddenly my body was picked up by Naru and Bou-san darted forward to pry my fingers from the doorknob. They got my hand off and Naru strod purposely towards the open gates.

Half my body started flaling and crying. I kept quiet. Tired and enjoying the smell of Naru; cologne and tea.

He stepped over the threshold and stood past the open gate. Ai went quiet.

I turned our face up to face the sunrise. It had been a long night. As the sun came up I felt Ai give a sigh of relief. Something lightened on my heart and she slipped away. I had full body control.

I was cradeled in Naru's arms and the pain from everything was a dull roar in my mind. I continued to watch the sunrise in an exhausted dull-whitted stare. It was beautiful I thought in a detatched way.

Everyone gathered around us.

"Mai! Mai! Are you alright!? "

I smiled at them, my friends and family. Naru hadn't put me down yet and I wasn't going to say anything. I turned my head nuzzling into Naru's shoulder and falling asleep to the smell of cologne and tea.

* * *

As I sat at my desk in the office of SPR I reflected on that case. That morning everyone had rushed me to the hospital. (Why do I always end up at a hospital!?) The doctors stitched up my wounds on my arms and legs. I slept for almost a week-solid. I heard that Naru slept for four-days solid. When he woke up he came to see me and once determining that I was going to sleep for longer set up a temporary office in my room with Lin and wrote up reports on what happened.

My arm had not been dislocated just hurt. Thank God.

I still have not found out what the tearing to my soul damaged or created. I am pretty sure I am as smart as used to be… At least Naru hasn't been making the more then usual comments about how stupid I am. We will have to see.

The inn-keeper was estatic that the ghosts were gone. Thankfully to the efforts of Lin, Bou-san, Ayako and John, no one had been seriously hurt when the spirits went crazy. I did hear that he is still touting it as a haunted place. Tourism and all that but at least he can do so now without worrying that his paying customers might die by morning.

Another case solved.

* * *

A/N: No this is not the end of my series just the end of this particular case!


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